The present invention relates generally to wireless data communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to all-in-one wireless network devices.
Many wireless network devices are available to facilitate data communications and network access at home and in the workplace, including wireless access points, wireless clients, wireless bridges, wireless repeaters, and even wireless enabled laptop computers and personal digital assistants. FIG. 1 shows a conventional combination wireless network device 100. Wireless network device 100 comprises a processor 102, a wireless port 104, a memory controller 110, a non-volatile memory 112, a volatile memory 114, and an antenna 116.
FIG. 2 shows a conventional architecture 200 for a conventional combination wireless network device 100 that can act as either a wireless access point or a wireless client. Architecture 200 comprises a plurality of software images comprising a software image 202A for the wireless access point and a software image 202B for the wireless client, and wireless port 104 of FIG. 1. Image 202A comprises a conventional operating system 204A, a wireless access point application 206A, and a media access controller (MAC) device driver 210A. Image 202B comprises a conventional operating system 204B, a wireless client application 206B, and a MAC device driver 210B3. Wireless port 104 comprises a MAC 212 and a wireless physical-layer device (PHY) 214.
Conventional architecture 200 is limited in that only one wireless application can execute at a time. That is, according to architecture 200, combination wireless network device 100 can act either as a wireless access point or as a wireless client, but cannot act as both concurrently.
Furthermore, switching between modes is slow. For example, in order to switch from wireless access point mode to wireless client mode, processor 102 must reboot and load wireless client image 202B into volatile memory 114 before entering wireless client mode.
Finally, architecture 200 is inefficient because operating system 204 is replicated in each image 202, and can account for up to ⅔ of the storage space required by each image 202. This inefficiency increases the storage requirements for both non-volatile memory 112 and volatile memory 114, as well as the time required to transfer each image 202 from non-volatile memory 112 to volatile memory 114. These storage requirements mandate a larger, less portable, and more expensive package for conventional combination wireless network device 100.